Gastric Emphysema Induced by Severe Vomiting

Gastric emphysema or air in the stomach wall is a rare condition resulting from the disruption of gastric mucosa and entry of air into the stomach wall which could be from severe vomiting, instrumentation or endoscopy, gastric ischemia, and dissection of air from the mediastinum. Treatment is usually conservative and supportive. We report the case of a 70-year-old woman with a three-day history of nausea and vomiting who presented with gastric emphysema on computed tomography (CT) imaging; she responded very well with conservative treatment and was discharged in a stable condition.